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Saturday, January 7, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Blogs

Here I am the first week of this meme and sliding in with my post on the last day. Better almost late than not at all! I enjoy reading blogs and they are a great help to me in learning about genealogy, organization methods, tech resources, research and writing, and those pesky citations. When I first started reading blogs I followed the big names and institutional blogs. As I got more into my research, I found that many of those blogs served as a launch pad for various press releases but oftentimes did not provide the personal and/or hands-on type of posts that informed, educated or entertained me.

At that point I started followingblogs where the author shared and/or expanded my particular interests:

How-Tos ~ Bloggers who try out software programs, websites, and/or explain how they do their research.

Location ~ If it is about Ireland, Newfoundland, Norway, Slovenia or Sweden, you have a reader in me!

Tech Stuff ~ Blogs that discuss subjects that I have decided to follow in order to become a better genealogist, specifically blogs about photography, education, organization, maps, and new products (computers, smart phones, apps, and the like).

There are so many great blogs out there and I follow many of them through Google+. Over the past six months I have been introduced to so many blogs I would have missed if I had not seen a snippet in my Google+ Stream. If you haven't added a Genealogy Circle to your Google+ Stream ~ make it a 2012 resolution!

That said, my top 3 blogs are:

'On a flesh and bone foundation: An Irish History ~ Jennifer's prose and photographs are stunning! She writes not only about her Irish heritage but our common Irish heritage. She shares with the rest of us the trials and triumphs, the saints and the sinners, the history and the folklore that make our Irish heritage so special. Go raibh maith agat.

Genea-Musings ~ I don't know how he does it but Randy Seaver tries everything so we don't have to, points out the pros and cons, publishes screenshots, answers any question we send him, and just all around helps make our genealogy lives easier and better.

Geneabloggers ~ Thomas MacEntee is aforce for good in the genealogy world. Looking for a genealogy blog, a calendar of webinars, a spotlight on new blogs, any possible resource that will help you be a better blogger? Well, look no further than Geneabloggers. I can't tell you the number of times I have had a technical blog question, or wanted to find a blog about a particular genealogy niche and Thomas' blog was the place to go to find it.

The Legal Stuff

About Me

I am an avid reader of thrillers, North American and European history, and biographies. I love to travel and especially enjoy going to libraries and archives and immersing myself in the records. I enjoy crossword puzzles and also love to puzzle out the various family connections in many of the small towns and villages where my ancestors started out and where they finally settled. I love making lists and checking them twice.

A Little Bit More

Happily researching the families that left County Carlow, Ireland for Newfoundland and later scattered to other parts of Canada and the United States. I am especially interested in the Keoughs of Plate Cove (East & West), as well as the affiliated families of Aylward, Barker, Dooley, Driscoll, Furlong, Heaney, Moss, Murphy, Tracey, Walsh and Whelan.

Also happily researching the families that left Counties Carlow, Cork and Kerry for the United States and scattered to Vermont, New York, Missouri, Nebraska, Washington & Oregon. I am especially interested in the Murphys of Nebraska and Washington, as well as the affiliated families of Butler, Cavanaugh/Kavanaugh, Kelley, Kiley, Shaughnessy, Sullivan, Tucker and Wink.